The present invention is directed to a less lethal ammunition.
Less lethal projectiles have been used by military and law enforcement forces for crowd control, where it is required to incapacitate an individual or a crowd without the likelihood of causing serious injuries. In such projectiles a metallic projectile/bullet is typically replaced by a projectile made by a soft material, e.g. plastic or rubber. While, such less lethal projectiles are useful to an individual seeking self-defense and/or controlling property related crimes, such less lethal rounds may still cause serious injuries. Moreover, because plastic or rubber bullets are generally similar to conventional lead bullets, there is a risk that a police officer, or other individual in the heat of the moment, may mistakenly insert the wrong kind of ammunition into a conventional firearm, thus leading to a catastrophic loss of life.
Another desirable feature for less lethal ammunition would be to include a marker which identifies the person or object which has been hit by the less lethal ammunition. A marker, such as a paint marker, is useful to identify a person or persons involved in a threat or property crime. Such markings may be useful for identification of individuals involved in the incident. Markers can be of different colors to identify, for example, the person firing the ammunition, or otherwise coordinate to dates, locations, or other circumstances to allow for differentiation in any investigation or arrest.
One common form of a marker is a paint ball projectile, such as commonly used in paint ball competitions. However, paint balls are typically fired through dedicated firearms, and are typically not suitable for use in weapons of conventional calibers, e.g., 9 mm, .38 caliber, .45 caliber, etc. Further as a law enforcement officer typically may not have much time to sort through a variety of devices in order to select an appropriate weapon or device needed to fire less lethal ammunition, it is preferable that the ammunition may be fired from a weapon already located on an officer's belt. Moreover, the range of weapons dedicated to firing paint balls is typically limited, as is their accuracy.
Accordingly, it would be useful to provide less lethal ammunition that provides an inhibiting, or temporarily disabling force, and also provides a marker identifying the person or object that was impacted by the ammunition. Further, it is preferable that such ammunition be compatible with conventional handguns, rifles, and/or shotguns, to allow use in relation to weapons that law enforcement forces already carry.
These and other objects and advantages are addressed by the present invention, which is described in more detail below, in relation to the accompanying exemplary embodiments.